Others may have already voiced a similar opinion so my apologies if I'm being redundant here (or missing the point).

But I'm not sure I can agree with your comment. I recently accepted I needed to lose ~15 lbs, so about a month ago I started a 1700 calorie a day eating regimen (I despise the word "diet") and began lifting the old dumbells again and doing 20-40 minutes on the treadmill each day.

I've definitely burned off quiet a bit of 'extra meat' around the midsection as well as built up muscles in my arms and legs. (not just muscle tone)

If you mean you can't burn fat and build muscle thru supplements alone, I agree. But if you include cardio and/or weights in addition to lowering caloric intake, which is the best approach IMHO, you can absolutely build muscle at the same time you're burning fat. I've been doing it off and on for longer than I'd like to admit.